Chikuzen Sato -- Golden Lady

 

Although I own a couple of Stevie Wonder BEST compilations with the usual inclusions of "For Once In My Life" and "Isn't She Lovely" among other hits, I now have to consider my own advice for folks who've asked me about exploring the works of a Japanese singer. I've sometimes recommended that they get a BEST compilation of their discography and then begin tracking down the original albums since they may have buried gems that never got onto the BEST stuff.

Case in point: the track "Golden Lady" in Wonder's 1973 "Innervisions" considered to be one of his very best albums and perhaps even one of the best albums of all time according to the Wikipedia writeup. "Innervisions" covered a lot of hot-button issues including drug abuse and racism, and Wonder even saved some vitriol for then-US President Richard Nixon. "Golden Lady" was one of the few tracks that was simply a pure love song and it is a song that never made it onto either of those BEST compilations that I have. Apparently, it follows the Cuban montuno style according to the article devoted to "Golden Lady" itself. Wonder's melody is its usual soulful spectacle but I was also initially struck by how relatively subdued he was in the vocals.

Incredibly enough, I only found out about Wonder's original from Chikuzen Sato's（佐藤竹善）cover of "Golden Lady" in his 2012 album of cover tunes "Free as a Bird - CORNERSTONES 5 -". It's a much more oomphed-up take with plenty of brass, and I'm wondering if it's almost on the level of a dance tune. Of course, if there's anyone in Japan who can tackle a Wonder tune with aplomb, it is Sato, although I also think Toshinobu Kubota（久保田利伸）is another choice. "CORNERSTONES 5" also has another lovely track "Sunny Sunday Morning '09" which I've written about.

The "Innervisions" article in Wikipedia also noted that only a few days after its release, Wonder was involved in a horrific auto accident that could have killed him. Fortunately for him and the world, he recovered to provide plenty more of the music that would make him a legend.